Home   Donate   New   Search   Gallery   How-To   Books   Links   Workshops   About   Contact

Voigtländer Reviews
for SLRs and LEICAs
© 2011-2013 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

Please help KenRockwell..com

It helps me keep adding to this site when you use these links to Adorama, Amazon, B&H and eBay to get your goodies. Thanks! Ken.

 

March 2013   LEICA Reviews   LEICA Lens Reviews   More Reviews

12mm   15mm   20 & 21mm   28mm   35mm   

40mm   50mm   75mm   90mm

Click any image below to go to its review or more information.

 

12mm (requires external finder)        top

How to Use Ultrawideangle Lenses

Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 M II

Voigtländer 12mm f/5.6 ASPH

2000-today, filter adapter needed for 77mm filters, 173g.

It's a screw-mount lens, so be sure to get a screw-mount adapter for use on M cameras. It comes with a dedicated 12mm finder.

It comes in black as shown or silver.

It's sharp, and has plenty of falloff (darker corners) as expected. I'm a wide-angle junkie, and 12mm is too wide, even for me. It is not rangefinder coupled as all Leica brand lenses. No big deal, just guess. Its depth-of-field is just about unlimited.

TTL metering works great on all M cameras.

Achtung: Although wonderful on film, this lens sucks on the M9 because its rear nodal point is too close for the sensor. The left and right sides take on weird color shifts. For the M9, get the LEICA 16-18-21mm zoom instead.

New: bayonet mount version.

enlarge image or more information (review coming)

 

15mm (requires external finder)        top

How to Use Ultrawideangle Lenses

Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 M II

Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5 M II ASPH

2009-today, 52mm filters, 155g.

An excellent lens in every way. TTL metering works great on all M cameras.

Achtung: Although wonderful on film, this lens sucks on the M9 because its rear nodal point is too close for the sensor. The left and right sides take on weird color shifts. For the M9, get the LEICA 16-18-21mm zoom instead.

Full review.

 

Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5

Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5 ASPH

1999-today, no filters, 115g.

Same as the lens above, except that it's screw-thread, and has no rangefinder coupling or filter thread. Be sure to get an adapter to use it on M cameras.

TTL metering works great on all M cameras.

Achtung: Although wonderful on film, this lens sucks on the M9 because its rear nodal point is too close for the sensor. The left and right sides take on weird color shifts. For the M9, get the LEICA 16-18-21mm zoom instead.

Full review.

 

20 & 21mm             top

How to Use Ultrawideangle Lenses

Voigtlander 20mm f/3.5 review

Voigtländer Color-Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SL II

2009-today, 52mm filters, 199g, about $550.

A tiny SLR lens for Nikon, Canon EOS and Pentax.

Full review.

 

Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 review

NEW: Voigtländer 21mm f/1.8

2012-today, 58mm filters, 412g.

Optically pretty good, and works great on M9.

Full review.

 

Voigtlander 21mm f/4 review

Voigtländer 21mm f/4

2009-today, 39mm filters, 132g.

The tiniest ultrawide ever for Leica. A great performer that fulfills Oskar Barnack's vision even better than Leica's own lenses today.

Achtung: Although wonderful on film, this lens is not for the M9 because its rear nodal point is too close for the sensor. The left and right sides take on weird color shifts. For the M9, get the LEICA 21mm f/2.8 ASPH instead.

Full review.

 

28mm               top

Voigtlander 28mm f/2

Voigtländer 28mm f/2

2008-, 46mm filters, 243g.

Inferior to LEICA, but far less expensive and good enough for most people.

Full review.

 

Voigtlander 28mm f/1.9

Voigtländer 28mm f/1.9

2000-2008, 46mm filters, 261g.

Inferior to LEICA in every way, but far less expensive and good enough for most people.

Full review.

 

35mm               top

Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4

NEW: Voigtländer 35mm f/1.4

2008-, 43mm filters, 198g.

Small, light, well-built and ergonomically excellent, but with visible barrel distortion and sharpness far inferior to anything else from LEICA, even 50 years ago.

Full review.

 

40mm               top

Voigtlander 40mm f/2

Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2 SL II

2007-, 52mm or 39mm filters, 180g, about $410.

A tiny, ultra-high performance normal lens for Nikon, Canon EOS and Pentax.

Full Review.

 

Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4 Review

Voigtländer 40mm f/1.4

2004-, 43 x 0.75mm filters, 197g, about $529.

A lens only for the LEICA CL, Minolta CLE and plastic Voigtländer Bessa R3M with 1:1 finder.

Full Review.

 

50mm               top

Voigtlander 50mm f/1.1

Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.1

2010-, 58mm filters, 434g, about $1,000.

A poor performer, introduced as a gimmick for the less critical.

Full Review.

 

75mm               top

Voigtlander 75mm f/1.8

NEW: Voigtländer 75mm f/1.8 Review

2010-, 52mm filters, 423g, about $715.

A swell lens, but why would you want a 75mm lens for LEICA M?

Full Review.

90mm                top

Voigtlander 90mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthart

Voigtländer 90mm f/3.5 APO-Lanthar SL II

2009-, 52mm or 39mm filters, 322g, about $550.

A small, medium-tele and semi-macro lens lens for Nikon, Canon EOS and Pentax.

Full Review.

    

Help me help you         top

I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.

The biggest help is when you use any of these links to Adorama, Amazon, B&H, eBay, Ritz, Calumet and J&R and when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. eBay is always a gamble, but all the other places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.

If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.

If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!

If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.

As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!

Thanks for reading!

Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

Home   Donate   New   Search   Gallery   How-To   Books   Links   Workshops   About   Contact